Johns Hopkins Medical Centre - World Coronavirus infection Map by Country.

[Marco]

Actually, most of the big killer diseases of the past have been eliminated, not by herd immunity, but by vaccination/immunisation.

Yes, ones that in total have killed far more people worldwide, than I believe COVID-19 has or will kill people in future. Of course, that's only my layman's opinion, but it's one I'd bet on!

Marco.

[Macca]

well they have had over 4k deaths and their cases are still on the rise... ours are on the wain. not so sure what either did was the right thing tbh... Im inclined to think we should have been able to test and trace from beginning.. At risk populations should have been put in cotton wool earlier, and all contacts regularly tested.
the rest of population should have distanced as best they could, wore masks etc and taken their chances, which for the younger, healthy population was a fairly good risk. It would have kept economy ticking over.. anyone entering country should have been tested before being allowed to mix..
all this should have happened in february

And no doubt for the next one that's what they will do. This is an unprecedented event, everyone's on a learning curve. You don't want to screw your economy and you don't want a shedload of dead people either. It's a very difficult balancing act especially the first time out the gate.

[Joe]

And no doubt for the next one that's what they will do. This is an unprecedented event, everyone's on a learning curve. You don't want to screw your economy and you don't want a shedload of dead people either. It's a very difficult balancing act especially the first time out the gate.

The main advantage of mass testing is that you quickly get a grip on how many cases there are, and where they are. Otherwise, you're relying on reported/diagnosed cases, which is an unreliable measure because the symptoms of COVID vary considerably between individuals, as this report from the Beeb indicates:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/52760992

"I think most clinicians were expecting a respiratory virus that causes pneumonia," says Prof Anthony Gordon, a consultant on the intensive care unit at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, "something similar to diseases like seasonal flu on a much bigger scale".
But, he says, it became apparent very quickly that it was affecting far more than just people's breathing.

Viral pneumonia is a nasty disease - a serious infection of the lungs which causes inflammation as the body fights against it.
But the worst cases of Covid-19 have been something new.

"The volume of this is, of course, unprecedented in the era of modern medicine," says Ron Daniels, an intensive care consultant at hospitals in Birmingham.

"But it's also the type of illness which is so distinct, and the way it's really different from almost every other patient that we've ever seen before."

For the critically ill, this is a disease of such severe inflammation and blood clotting that it attacks multiple organs and causes life-threatening problems that cascade around the body.

"As a doctor it seems at times quite horrific, we have had so many very, very sick patients who are having these profound changes in their body en masse," says Beverley Hunt, a professor of thrombosis - the clotting of the blood - who works in intensive care at a leading London hospital.

"We're all struggling to understand it better and it's absolutely key that we get more research done so we can understand what is going on."

[...]

"We've yet to fully understand this condition, it is baffling," admits Ron Daniels, pointing out that even in intensive care, patients present in a variety of different ways. "We can have a patient in their 70s who has isolated respiratory failure and just needs a bit of help with a ventilator. And we can have a patient in their 20s who develops multi-organ failure very quickly."

In the absence of solid proof, many theories are being discussed, based on observation of patients, and much research is being done.

Many ICU doctors think it is highly likely that genetics plays a part in some people becoming critically ill with Covid-19, but they can't yet say for sure.

"It could be partly responsible for the disproportionate effect it has had on people of African and Asian origin," says Ron Daniels. "It may also be responsible for the differences in the response of individuals."

It is possible, for example, that the genetic variation that makes you more susceptible to getting high blood pressure or diabetes also makes you more susceptible to the virus.'

What's especially galling in all this is that for years the UK was ahead of the world in planning for just this sort of pandemic, only for us to 'drop the ball' just when we needed to act quickly.

[Marco]

Let's hope it's bit more accurate than the last one you posted.

Well, it's likely to be WAY more accurate than the 'R' number (rate of infection) the government have calculated for Coronavirus! I'd love to see them show their 'workings out' for that!

Ok, let's see in time then, when all the relevant data has been collated and properly analysed, what the *actual* death rate percentage figure is - and I bet it ends up being much lower than most would've suspected, and no worse than many other viruses!

Marco.

[struth]

usa has done the most tests so their records are best to look at.. suggests 5% of known cases die

[Joe]

What I want to know is, who are these 'shadowy elite' people? What are their names, and where do they live? Are they on Facebook? Do they pay well?

[Joe]

Lol, indeed (only two small properties, though, not a hill of beans really). But Mike's entitled to his opinion, as he's clearly had some bad experiences as a tenant, which I can totally sympathise with, as there are some right bastard landlords out there!

Marco.

You'll be first up against the wall come the revolution.

[Macca]

usa has done the most tests so their records are best to look at.. suggests 5% of known cases die

That's because most people who get tested only get tested because they go to hospital as they're really sick from it. Doesn't take into account all the people who had it and had minor or none existent symptoms and were never tested. We don't know what number that is but I'd guess it has to be at least a hundred times, maybe even a thousand times, more cases than the tested ones. So you can put a decimal point and a few zeroes in front of that 5% if we talk about all cases.

[struth]

That's because most people who get tested only get tested because they go to hospital as they're really sick from it. Doesn't take into account all the people who had it and had minor or none existent symptoms and were never tested. We don't know what number that is but I'd guess it has to be at least a hundred times, maybe even a thousand times, more cases than the tested ones. So you can put a decimal point and a few zeroes in front of that 5% if we talk about all cases.

i did say, known cases...

[struth]

I behaved reasonably,' says Cummings

may just have lost the tories the next election